


Hold Me, Protect Me

by yoonchuls



Category: Infinite (Band)
Genre: Almost 11k of emotions, Angst with a Happy Ending, Catboy!Myungsoo, Fluff, Human!Sungyeol, M/M, Mentions of Alcohol/Drugs, Romance, Smut, Touch-Starved, Woohyun is an asshole, mentions of abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-18
Updated: 2017-03-18
Packaged: 2018-10-07 06:37:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10354341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yoonchuls/pseuds/yoonchuls
Summary: Sungyeol finds Myungsoo getting beaten up on the street one night and decides to bring him home in order to patch him up and and have him recover for the night. Sungyeol realizes that he can't send Myungsoo away even if he tried. Catboy!Myungsoo AU.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [MyungYeolPromptMeme](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/MyungYeolPromptMeme) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
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> When Sungyeol sees Myungsoo, a catboy, get beat up by some random thugs, he decides to take him home, patch him up, and give him a warm meal. Hours later, he finds that he can't just send him off, especially after learning about the other's tough life, he decides to take him in. But Myungsoo, who isn't used to kindness, either finds Sungyeol strange or has some issues trying to get accustomed to the warmth and kindness Sungyeol provides.

"We're finished, Lee Sungyeol."

 

 

 

Sungyeol scoffed over the thumping bass of the nightclub as he looked at his boyfriend, well ex-boyfriend now, hand-in-hand with another man. Sungyeol didn’t mind if he was being dumped, honestly. His relationship with Wonho over the past few months had been nothing but ideal, the two disagreeing over just about everything, but to be with another man so quickly? Sungyeol could only assume he had to have been cheating.

 

“This is my new boyfriend, Changkyun,” Wonho smirked, running his index finger across Changkyun’s cheek, “He’s much sweeter than you, more fun to fuck too.” Sungyeol couldn’t help the hot tears streaming down his face, he wanted nothing more than to act like none of this was bothering him but it wasn’t that easy. Wonho had been Sungyeol’s first (and only) real boyfriend throughout his college years and this signaled a new chapter of the young man’s life.

 

Sungyeol shook his head, flinging his drink at the pair while yelling over the music, “Fuck off! Your dick isn’t even that big anyway!” Sungyeol had to let out a small snort at the look on the pair’s face as he sauntered out of the club, the adrenaline still coursing through his veins. The exit led him to a dark, poorly lit alleyway, nestled in the back roads of Itaewon. Sungyeol shivered, pulling his jacket around tighter around him as he made his journey out towards the main road. He didn’t even really prefer to hang out in Itaewon, it got a bit too crazy for his tastes, but it was where the predominantly gay clubbing area was so Sungyeol always found his way back here no matter what. He was almost out towards the main road when he heard a faint whimpering noise. Sungyeol whipped his body around, trying to locate the source of the noise.

 

“It sounds like a kitten…” Sungyeol mused to himself, checking behind a few buildings before he heard a harsh slap. Normally, Sungyeol would think he would try and avoid the noise at all costs, thinking that he didn’t want to get himself into trouble. However, after the adrenaline of Wonho breaking up with him, he rushed towards the noise where he saw three large men kicking a smaller man in the center. “You dirty slut!” Sungyeol heard one of them grumble as they bent over to hit his face.

 

“Hey!” Sungyeol screeched, running towards them with his fists clenched. The three men turned around bewildered before smirking, one of them grabbing Sungyeol by the arm with ease and chuckling, “You’re such a skinny little thing? Why are you here? Trying to be a hero?”

 

Sungyeol glared at the man who was holding onto him, “I actually have former training in Taekwondo and I’m not afraid to use it! I’m also not afraid to tell you that I called the Police and alerted them of my location right before I ran over here and they should be here any minute!”

 

The three men looked back and forth at each other, unable to tell whether or not Sungyeol was bluffing. Sungyeol laughed loudly, “I would run if I were you. My dad is an officer here in Itaewon and he’ll lock you up in no time.”

 

“Fuck, let’s just run! We’ll tell boss that we failed the mission!” One of the men, supposedly the leader, yelled before they all scattered into different directions. Sungyeol chuckled a bit to himself before turning his attention to the boy who was shivering on the ground. Sungyeol kneeled down towards him, instinctively reaching out to inspect his face before flinching when the boy curled up into a fetal position.

 

_Ah right, he was just taking a beating, how can he trust me?_

 

Sungyeol chewed on his lip slightly before whispering, “Hey… um… are you okay?” The boy on the ground shook his head, sitting up to look at Sungyeol. His eyes shone with hurt and disappointment, his lip bleeding profusely. Sungyeol would have been shocked by the boy’s beauty if it weren’t for his expressive eyes that told him a story. The boy coughed softly and sighed, “T-Thanks… by the way, for saving me. Nobody has ever tried to save me before.” Sungyeol gasped, suddenly taking notice of the boy’s cat-like ears and swishing tail on the ground.

 

The boy seemed to notice Sungyeol’s gaze and nodded, “Yes, I’m a catboy. Yes, I have an owner. Yes, I am currently running away and hiding from said owner. Yes, I don’t have anywhere to go right now.” Sungyeol felt himself smile a bit at the boy’s honesty, offering his hand, “If you would like… you can stay at my place tonight? I mean… I know you don’t know me at all but I have a couch at my place and we can take a taxi over there… or something…” Sungyeol didn’t know why he was getting nervous, but felt himself relax as the catboy nodded, “Sure, it’s better than sleeping on the streets again.”

 

Again? Sungyeol furrowed his eyebrows before the catboy took his hand gently; looking towards the street with an expressionless face, “Lead the way. I can’t bring us there.” He nodded, dragging along the catboy beside him at a brisk pace. The boy had not been hiding the fact that he was a catboy and Sungyeol wanted to avoid as much conversations with random strangers as he possibly could. It wasn’t illegal to have a catboy but it was almost taboo to parade them around in public, people might start to gossip. People were aware that most people purchased catboys specifically to live out sexual fantasies, so they viewed it as if you were walking around advertising your porno collection. Sungyeol managed to get them out of the center of Itaewon and onto the main street in record time, hailing a taxi and pushing the catboy inside.

 

Sungyeol huffed out his address to the cab driver, the old man raising an eye at the two’s appearance. Sungyeol realized how strange they must look, Sungyeol was still dressed in his “club attire” (a leather jacket he’s owned for the past 5 years, a purple V-neck and some tight fitting white jeans) and the catboy’s clothes were completely torn apart, dried blood all over his body and face. Sungyeol was sick of calling the other boy “catboy” in his head, so he turned towards the other, “What’s your name by the way?”

 

The catboy gave him a blank stare before whispering, “Myungsoo. Kim Myungsoo.” Sungyeol mulled the name over in his head before grinning from ear to ear, “I like that name. Myungsoo! I’m Sungyeol. Lee Sungyeol. You could even call me Yeollie if you want! Or Yeollie hyung, if you’re younger than me! You seem young, how old are you anyway?”

 

The catboy (Myungsoo) shrugged, turning to look out the window, “I guess I just turned 24. I’m not really sure. I lost count. My birthday has never really been a big deal before.” Sungyeol pouted at hearing that, but filed away the information that he was older than Myungsoo. Maybe.

 

~~

 

Sungyeol had been quite embarrassed when he opened the door to his one bedroom apartment, his clothes strewn across the floor everywhere and his dirty dishes from the night before still undone. He went to apologize to Myungsoo, but the other didn’t seem to mind as he collapsed on the couch, looking quite lethargic.

 

“Ah, let me get you some disinfectant to help clean you up, Myungsoo-sshi!” Sungyeol shuffled through his cabinet drawers, almost missing Myungsoo’s quiet mumbling, “Just Myungsoo is fine.” Sungyeol’s face flushed slightly as he turned back towards Myungsoo, his ears were turned downward and his tail swished side to side in a very slow motion, almost radiating how sad he was. The older man hurried back over and sat next to Myungsoo on the couch, gingerly applying some disinfectant and bandages all over the visible parts of Myungsoo’s body.

 

The pair was silent for a long time while Sungyeol did his work before he spoke up, “So… you have an owner?” Sungyeol saw Myungsoo visibly tense up and cursed inside of his head.

 

_Good job Sungyeol, you fucking idiot. You just met the guy and now you’re already delving into something he obviously doesn’t want to speak about._

 

Sungyeol was about to apologize and tell Myungsoo to just forget it before the catboy let out an audible sigh, scratching the back of his neck, “I… legally I have an owner. He’s been my owner for the past 10 years and he is an absolute monster. I ran away from him while we were vacationing here.” Sungyeol bit his lip, in the law, catboys were filed under the category of property much like actual animals. _Technically_ , Sungyeol was breaking the law and could be fined or even arrested for stealing someone else’s property. But… how could Sungyeol even go about finding Myungsoo’s owner in the first place? And if they were vacationing here that meant Myungsoo’s owner wasn’t a Korean citizen, so was there a different set of international laws that he could follow instead? It was quite a messy situation.

 

Sungyeol opened his mouth before closing it again, pursing his lips in thought before finally speaking well after Myungsoo’s statement, “Well… you’re here with me now, at least for the night. Let’s not think about those things. You want me to make you some food? I haven’t gone grocery shopping yet…” Sungyeol paused and padded over to the fridge, squinting his eyes at the blinding light. Living by himself meant that he ate instant ramen and take out as often as possible, barely ever cooking. Sungyeol noticed he had some leftover kimchi and turned around, “I could make you some kimchi jjigae. It’s either that or instant ramen.” Sungyeol grinned as he saw Myungsoo’s cat ears perk up at the mention of kimchi jjigae, it looked like he lucked out.

 

~~

 

After the two had finished eating the kimchi jjigae Sungyeol had hastily made, it was already 1:30 in the morning. The older man yawned audibly, rubbing his eyes before jerking his head towards the couch, “I’ll sleep there tonight. You can sleep in my bed, I’ll bring you to my room.” Myungsoo looked at Sungyeol in confusion, “I... can sleep on a bed? You’re not going to make me sleep on the floor?” Sungyeol ruffled his own hair in frustration, “Why would I make you do that? My couch is comfortable enough for me and the bed is quite spacious.”

 

Myungsoo pouted, not quite understanding the situation. His owner never let him sleep on the bed before… he was only allowed on there during his heat or when his master was desperate and horny enough otherwise. This new man Sungyeol didn’t seem to have any of those intentions as he pushed Myungsoo towards the tiny bedroom right off of the living room. Sungyeol gave him a small smile before patting Myungsoo’s head gently, rubbing behind his cat ears slightly. Myungsoo let out a visible shiver, not used to being touched so kindly and with care.

 

“The bathroom is right next to this room if you need to use it in the middle of the night. I’ll be right on the couch so we can talk more tomorrow morning, okay? Good night Myungsoo!” Sungyeol smiled, letting Myungsoo look around the bedroom before closing the door behind him. Myungsoo inspected Sungyeol’s tiny bedroom, the room only having enough room for a full size bed, a dresser, a full-length mirror and a nightstand. There were various pictures scattered across the room, Sungyeol with his parents (or at least, Myungsoo assumed), Sungyeol with some various friends (Myungsoo noted there was a significantly shorter man with an intimidatingly bright smile that was in many of these pictures), Sungyeol looking quite intimate with a shorter, muscular man (Myungsoo saw that they were hugging in many pictures, but Myungsoo assumed many friends hugged each other). Myungsoo finally collapsed on Sungyeol’s bed, adorned with a pink comforter and sheets. The catboy stripped off his tattered shirt and jeans, leaving him in the one pair of black boxer-briefs that he owned, complete with a hole in the back that he cut out for his tail.

 

Myungsoo almost anticipated Sungyeol to take off his fake personality and slam through the door just like his owner always did, slapping Myungsoo across the face. Myungsoo expected that Sungyeol would be just like Woohyun, never letting him wear clothes and just wearing a collar instead, laughing at him and humiliating him. Through years of abuse, Myungsoo had grown to expect these things from others and any sort of kindness perplexed him. Woohyun used to be nice in the beginning too… before he revealed that he didn’t give a shit about Myungsoo at all.

 

Myungsoo shivered as he thought about his owner, feeling tears prick at the corner of his eyes. Nam Woohyun was an absolute monster; Myungsoo never wanted to see his face ever again. He grasped onto the sheet tightly and suddenly sat up, scrambling out of the bed and heading out towards the living room. Sungyeol was on his phone, eyes blinking up sleepily towards Myungsoo and mumbling, “What is it Myungsoo? Did you need to go to the bathroom?” The catboy was shaking violently at this point, reaching out towards Sungyeol. He had barely known the man for a few hours but Myungsoo had this overwhelming sensation that he could trust Sungyeol. Myungsoo knew that it could backfire in his face, Sungyeol could just be trying to fool Myungsoo, but Myungsoo didn’t _care_. He needed to be held throughout the night, he just didn’t know how to ask.

 

Instead, Myungsoo tugged on Sungyeol’s shirt, leading him towards the bedroom and pushing him down onto the mattress, climbing in next to him and wrapping his body around Sungyeol’s, still shivering as tiny sobs wracked through his body. Sungyeol was wide-awake and confused at this point, patting Myungsoo’s shoulder gently, “Is… something wrong Myungsoo? What happened?”

 

“Please just… please just hold me while I sleep… Please Sungyeol hyung…” Myungsoo sobbed out quietly, his lip quivering as Sungyeol found his fingers back in Myungsoo’s silky hair, rubbing behind Myungsoo’s ears gently again. Myungsoo’s body began to convulse as he let out a loud purr, feeling himself blush because he couldn’t even remember the last time he purred. Sungyeol was blushing as well, feeling like he would be turned on if he weren’t so confused and shocked by Myungsoo’s behavior.

 

Sungyeol didn’t ask any questions though; he simply pet and rubbed Myungsoo’s hair soothingly before he felt the catboy fall asleep, arms still wrapped around Sungyeol’s torso. Sungyeol turned his head slightly towards the nightstand, noting that it was practically 2:30 at this point. Thank god he had the day off tomorrow, he had a lot of questions to ask Myungsoo.

 

~~

 

Sungyeol woke up first, blinking his eyes and letting out a quiet groan since he had forgot to close the blinds last night before sleeping. He was about to get up and close them before he remembered the events of last night and why he had an adorable catboy clinging to him, his cat ears twitching as he nuzzled against Sungyeol’s chest in his sleep. Sungyeol bit his lip, afraid to disturb the other and looking down in awe at his sleeping appearance. The light that was filtering in the room highlighted his tall nose bridge and his sharp jawline, his plush lips looking slightly dry and cracked but still beautiful. Myungsoo must have sensed that he was being watched because his eyes slowly began to flutter open, yelping quietly as he noticed Sungyeol observing him. Sungyeol blushed, clearing his throat and moving to get up, “Let’s talk in the living room, Myungsoo. I have a lot of questions.”

 

~~

 

Sungyeol learned a lot about Myungsoo that Monday morning. Myungsoo was born in Korea in a scientist’s lab down in Gwangju, being one of the first catboys that were created in Korea. Catboys were starting to become a hot topic in the early 90’s, the wealthiest citizens of glamorous cities such as Paris and Milan parading their catboys around on leashes. In Korea, this was something that people would only dream of, Seoul was still a developing city at the time and nowhere near the status of some of these wealthy places. Myungsoo was, quite frankly, an accident. The scientist, who Myungsoo couldn’t even remember the name of anymore, raised him throughout his childhood in his small laboratory. Myungsoo wasn’t allowed to go to school or interact with the outside world much, but he was well fed and was allowed to read all the books that he wanted. The man who had created him had taught him how to read and write at least. Myungsoo figures he had a pretty normal childhood, thankful that the man who created him didn’t sell him off immediately. However, times were rough and the scientist who created him finally decided that he needed to cash in on his creation.

 

Myungsoo was sold off to the Nam Family in the mid 2000’s, shortly after his 14th birthday. He was expected to go into regular heats soon, which made him quite valuable, plus he was quite the attractive young man. On his 14th birthday, Myungsoo awoke to his few belongings packed in a suitcase and a passport prepared for him. He never saw the man who created him ever again.

 

Myungsoo barely had any idea where he was going, but the person who was hired to escort him told him that they were going to a place called Germany. Myungsoo had read a book about Germany once, but he did not really conceptualize how far away he was going. His escort assured him though that the Nam Family were Korean, so there would be no language barrier. Myungsoo had heard from the man who created him that many catboys owners were much older men, so he was relieved when he found out from his escort that the man who would be looking after him primarily was only two years older than him. Innocent and naiive, Myungsoo had just assumed he would continue living the same, sedentary monotonous lifestyle that he was used to.

 

Sadly, it hadn’t turned out that way. Myungsoo learned later on that Woohyun was a notorious playboy in the city of Berlin, he was only 16 but because he was rich he thought that he could do whatever he wanted. His parents were shocked and disappointed with the reputation their son had around town, some other rich families refusing to open discussions about possible future arranged marriages with their daughters because of their fear that Woohyun would cheat on them. That was where Myungsoo came into the picture; Woohyun’s parents figured that if Woohyun would just fuck some catboy in the privacy of their own home, the young nobleman would be able to be a presentable human being on the streets.

 

Myungsoo was childishly excited that he finally had another boy around his age to play with, his cat ears perked up in curiosity during their first meeting. Woohyun was nice to him at first; they ran around the estate and played hide-and-seek, something that Myungsoo had never done before. They ate course after course of an elaborate dinner, Woohyun telling him jokes throughout the whole meal and Myungsoo giggling along. Myungsoo had read about friendships in books before, he couldn’t believe he finally had a real friend!

 

That was, of course, until later that night. Woohyun put a dark black, leather collar on Myungsoo’s neck and stripped him of his clothes, saying he wouldn’t need them while in the house. Myungsoo looked down at the collar, noticing that there was a tag with the simple inscription of the letter L, written in cursive. Woohyun had a gigantic King Sized bed, but he ordered Myungsoo to sleep on the floor at the foot of his bed. Myungsoo was humiliated and confused as Woohyun smirked at his appearance.

 

“I don’t understand Woohyun… can I put my clothes back on? Why can’t I sleep in the bed with you?” Myungsoo whimpered softly, his tail retreating to in between his legs, as Woohyun scoffed, “You don’t understand this situation yet? You’re here to pleasure _me_ and you will do whatever I say. _I own you now, L-ah._ ”

~~

 

Sungyeol didn’t need Myungsoo to go any farther; he had an idea of how the rest of the story went. Myungsoo had been abused by Woohyun for the past 10 or so years and finally couldn’t take it anymore, so he had escaped. It made sense, and Sungyeol was sure as hell not going to try and find this guy to give Myungsoo back. To hell with the law, Myungsoo was still a real person with emotions! Not just some sex toy! Sungyeol rubbed his eyes quickly, feeling hot tears forming in them. Myungsoo looked at him with a confused pout before Sungyeol suddenly hugged him tightly, petting Myungsoo’s hair before Myungsoo yelped and flinched away, busying his bottom lip in between his top teeth. Sungyeol looked on at the other man with a look of confusion, he had thought after last night…

 

“Sungyeol hyung, I hope you’ll understand because of my past it’s… hard for me to take that kind of physical affection without warning.” Myungsoo began to explain and before Sungyeol could start blabbering out an apology, he continued, “However, I really enjoy being held. Last night was my best night of sleep in over 10 years so just… warn me first?”

 

Sungyeol nodded, wordlessly holding out his arms and letting Myungsoo crawl into his embrace, scratching behind Myungsoo’s cat ears and watching the boy’s tail swish back and forth calmly. They were both going to have to do some growing and learning throughout this process, but Sungyeol was up for the challenge.

 

~~

 

Sadly, Sungyeol couldn’t avoid work forever, but he definitely didn’t want to leave Myungsoo home alone when he knew there were people out there looking for him. The next morning, Sungyeol dressed Myungsoo up in an older pair of jeans that were a bit too short on him, a pink hoodie and a black hat to hide his cat ears.

 

“You seem to really like the color pink, Sungyeol hyung…” Myungsoo mused before Sungyeol blushed, sputtering, “So what if it’s my favorite color?! Also, you can drop the hyung title, Myungsoo. Just Sungyeol is fine. Let’s try and be comfortable around each other.” Myungsoo nodded in agreement, Sungyeol picturing that if his tail were visible it would be swaying around contently. He chuckled to himself at the thought, shaking his head at Myungsoo’s confused gaze, “Let’s go on over to the restaurant!”

 

~~

 

Sungyeol worked at a chicken restaurant that was located amongst various different kinds of restaurants in the midst of Hongdae. It was a pretty popular spot and in a prime location, so whenever Sungyeol went in he was busy. He served as one of the managers of the location, and although it wasn’t necessarily a “cool” job, it paid the bills. His boss, the owner of the location, happened to be his best friend, Jang Dongwoo. Myungsoo looked around the restaurant in curiosity, it was 30 minutes until opening, before Sungyeol ushered him to the back office to meet Dongwoo.

                                                                                                              

Myungsoo immediately recognized Dongwoo from the pictures in Sungyeol’s room; this was the guy that had an intimidatingly bright smile. Dongwoo’s grin was just as bright as the pictures, shaking Myungsoo’s hand with vigor, “Hey there! I’m Jang Dongwoo, I’m the main manager and owner here at Fantastic Chicken Hongdae! Any friend of Sungyeol’s is a friend of mine! How exactly did you two meet? He usually tells me everything…” Sungyeol hesitated for a second, looking towards Myungsoo for approval. They actually hadn’t discussed whether or not they would reveal Myungsoo’s true identity to Dongwoo but Myungsoo shrugged in acceptance, Dongwoo seemed like he could be trusted. He gave off the same, trusting aura that Sungyeol gave off and which made Myungsoo willing to trust him.

 

Sungyeol bit his lip, lifting Myungsoo’s hat off of his head slowly and whispering, “He’s… actually a catboy that I found getting beat up in Itaewon last night. He ran away from his owner and is staying with me at the moment. I’m too nervous to leave him alone Dongwoo… he can stay here in the office during my shifts right?” Dongwoo’s face went from shock to an understanding smile almost immediately, Myungsoo wondered how a person could change facial expressions so quickly.

 

“Sungyeol, I have no problem with that…” Dongwoo patted Myungsoo’s shoulder sympathetically, the other flinching slightly, “Though I’m afraid you’ll be bored back here, Myungsoo-sshi. There isn’t much to do…”

 

Myungsoo shrugged, “If you have anything for me to read, I’ll be content with that. I didn’t go outside for the first 14 years of my life so I’m kind of used to being in enclosed, dark spaces for long periods of time.”

 

Dongwoo raised his eyebrows in alarm as Sungyeol took note of Myungsoo’s words, “I’ll let you read the menu of our restaurant for now. I’m going to go find more things for you to read before my shift starts!”

 

~~

 

A few weeks later, Myungsoo and Sungyeol had fallen into quite a routine. They would go to the library together before every shift Sungyeol had, Myungsoo deciding to go through the entire manhwa section before he read everything else. They would eat dinner together after Sungyeol worked, Sungyeol getting into the habit of cooking more. They would watch countless movies together and they would sleep together in Sungyeol’s bed every night, Myungsoo curled up safely against Sungyeol’s chest.

 

Sungyeol had the day off today and realized that he still hadn’t brought Myungsoo shopping for clothes. Myungsoo had just been borrowing a bunch of Sungyeol’s old clothing that didn’t quite fit him anymore (considering Myungsoo was just a bit shorter than Sungyeol) but Sungyeol wanted Myungsoo to pick out some things of his own taste and style, the boy already expressing his distaste for pink multiple times.

 

Myungsoo raised an eyebrow at Sungyeol’s suggestion; tail swishing back and forth lazily as he lounged on the couch. He looked at Sungyeol curiously, “Why would you want to buy me new clothes? I know that you aren’t that rich.” Sungyeol huffed at Myungsoo’s comment, but tried to control his temper considering he knew that Myungsoo meant no harm or malice from it. Sungyeol shrugged, “I want to buy you new clothes because I care about you and I want you to be able to wear things that you enjoy. I also can’t afford to cut any more holes in the back of my boxers, you need to have your own!” Sungyeol closed his eyes and laughed quietly at himself, missing Myungssoo’s sheer look of confusion.

 

_‘I care about you’_

It had been the first time Myungsoo had ever heard somebody say those words to him.

 

“You’re so weird…” Myungsoo sighed, slowly getting off of the couch and ignoring the way his heart sped up as he looked at Sungyeol’s smile.

 

~~

 

Myungsoo really hadn’t meant for it to turn out like this. It had just been an off-handed comment; he didn’t think anything of it. Sungyeol was talking about his own birthday, it was mid-April at this point and Sungyeol was due to turn 27 in August. The older man was whining about how he didn’t want to get older anymore and didn’t even want to bother having a party when Myungsoo mentioned that he never had a birthday party before.

 

Myungsoo didn’t think it was a big deal but it made Sungyeol gasp in shock, Myungsoo’s cat ears perking up at the noise.

 

“What do you mean you’ve never had a birthday party before?! Not even when you were a kid?” Sungyeol widened his eyes as Myungsoo shook his head, “I mean… I didn’t necessarily have a normal childhood. I had no friends and only the scientist who created me. Why would I have birthday parties?”

 

So somehow, Myungsoo wound up in between Sungyeol and Dongwoo at the round dining table, the two screaming “Happy Birthday” loudly to Myungsoo as they placed a chocolate cake in front of him that Sungyeol had made from scratch. Myungsoo’s nose twitched, taking in the overwhelming chocolate scent. Sungyeol wrapped his arm around Myungsoo’s shoulder and the cat boy finds himself leaning into Sungyeol’s touch. Dongwoo cooed softly, taking a picture on his smartphone before chiding Myungsoo to make a wish and blow out the candles.

 

“Make… a wish?” Myungsoo furrowed his eyebrows as Sungyeol explained the tradition, “You’re supposed to make a wish when you blow out the candles on your birthday, something that you really want. But don’t tell us! Otherwise your wish might not come true!” Dongwoo clapped his hands in encouragement as Myungsoo thought about what he wished for with his eyes closed and his hands clasped together.

 

_More than anything… I just want to live a normal life. Living like this with Sungyeol, hanging out with Dongwoo. Everything is so comfortable. I want to be comfortable and happy and safe. Am I wishing for too much? I’m not sure how this works… Just please let me keep living like this. Don’t make me go back to Woohyun._

Sungyeol looked on at Myungsoo fondly before the other finally blew out the candles, “You were thinking for a long time. I hope you had a good wish!” Myungsoo nodded, about to cut into the cake before Sungyeol exclaimed, “Before we eat, I have a little present for you!”

 

Sungyeol rushed into the bedroom before bringing back a small, black box. He smiled shyly, handing over the box to Myungsoo before blushing, “It’s… not much. I wish I was making more money to give you something better.” Myungsoo shook his head, already so overwhelmed from all of the attention and affection he was receiving. When Myungsoo opened the box, he smiled at the small ball that was meant for regular cats to play with. Myungsoo had been talking to Sungyeol one night and mentioned that sometimes he enjoyed playing with things like this just like a regular cat.

 

Myungsoo knew Sungyeol was looking on at him expectantly awaiting his reaction, but Myungsoo couldn’t do anything but weep silently. Lee Sungyeol was so weird, so strange. Myungsoo couldn’t understand how Sungyeol put up with him. He would have felt embarrassed for crying but Sungyeol seemed to understand him, the two were quite in sync lately, reaching over to wipe away Myungsoo’s tears. Sungyeol knew that Myungsoo was grateful; words weren’t needed to express that. Sungyeol would wait forever for Myungsoo to be ready.

 

~~

 

It had been just around 3 months since Myungsoo had been living with Sungyeol. Myungsoo was slowly starting to get more comfortable around Sungyeol and letting the other boy be openly affectionate. Myungsoo had just started to allow Sungyeol to kiss his cheek every now and then while they were cuddling, the other boy extremely happy at that progress.

 

However, when Myungsoo and Sungyeol originally had that conversation the first full day they spent together, Myungsoo had neglected to mention one important thing about himself, his heat. He could feel that it was coming soon, but he didn’t know exactly when. Myungsoo usually went into heat only once or twice a year, but how long it lasted usually varied. Sometimes it was only 24 hours and sometimes it could last almost a week. Myungsoo wasn’t sure if Sungyeol really understood what a heat was and wanted to warn him, especially considering they slept in the same bed together. Myungsoo made Sungyeol sit down with him on the couch to explain the situation, Sungyeol blushing and placing his hands over his cheeks, “So you want me to… help you out?”

 

Myungsoo bit his lip, his cat ears turning slightly downward, “I mean… I don’t want to force you…” Sungyeol shook his head adamantly, covering his own hand on top of Myungsoo’s, “Are you kidding me? Myungsoo you wouldn’t be forcing me… To be honest, I’m not sure what our relationship is. With your past, I don’t want to force you into anything. I just want you to know that I have never cared about anybody more than I have cared about you.”

 

Myungsoo turned over his palm, letting Sungyeol squeeze his hand before nodding, “I still don’t feel like I deserve any of this… but, thank you.”

 

Sungyeol began to scratch behind Myungsoo’s cat ears slowly; he knew how much Myungsoo loved the feeling. Myungsoo purred softly, melting into Sungyeol’s touch as he felt himself closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep slowly. Sungyeol stilled his movement before suddenly asking, “I… does that mean you need me to top? During your heat I mean.” Myungsoo nodded curtly, “Yeah. My body will produce a natural lubricant so you won’t need any lube.”

 

Sungyeol blushed at Myungsoo’s bluntness, commenting offhandedly, “I’ve… never topped before. I only ever bottomed to my ex-boyfriends. I hope that I’ll be okay…” Myungsoo closed his eyes again, resting his head on Sungyeol’s shoulder, “You’ll be perfectly fine. Don’t worry about it.”

 

~~

 

Sungyeol didn’t have time to worry about it. In the middle of the night, he awoke to Myungsoo’s soft purrs as he dry humped Sungyeol’s leg in his sleep. Sungyeol could instantly feel his body reacting as he felt how hard Myungsoo’s cock was against him. Sungyeol wondered if he should wake Myungsoo up, maybe it wasn’t his heat; maybe he was just having a particularly good dream that night. The air around Sungyeol felt thick, like he was going to suffocate and he figured that this must be it. Sungyeol began to shake Myungsoo awake, “Myungsoo… Myungsoo… Is this your heat?” Myungsoo gasped as he awoke, slowing the movement of his hips to a slow grind against Sungyeol’s thigh. Myungsoo clawed at Sungyeol’s bare chest, nodding quickly and whining.

 

Sungyeol felt overwhelmed, unsure of what to do next. Myungsoo was in a sort of dazed state, should he try and kiss him? Would that be taking advantage of him? Myungsoo seemed to grow visibly frustrated at Sungyeol’s lack of action and leaned in, kissing the human boy gently on the lips. It wasn’t how Sungyeol had imagined their first kiss to be, but just the fact that it was happening had his dick stirring in excitement. Myungsoo was aware enough and not in too much of a daze to know how big of a moment this was, nipping Sungyeol’s bottom lip as he pulled away. Sungyeol’s eyes were glazed over, hands shaking as he tried to process the situation. Myungsoo was frustrated, turning over on the mattress and sticking his ass in the air, “Sungyeol…. You’re adorable and all, but I need to be fucked. Now.”

 

Sungyeol coughed, his face heating up as he leaned over to fumble through his nightstand, “Ah… I have lube in here somewhere…” Myungsoo groaned, sliding his boxers off and humping the bed impatiently, “Sungyeol… you don’t… need that! I’m self-lubricated during my heat remember? Just fuck me please…” Sungyeol dropped the lube nervously back into the drawer and pulled down his own boxers, he was already embarrassingly hard from just feeling Myungsoo’s erection on his leg and kissing him once. He grabbed onto Myungsoo’s hips, trying to steady the impatient catboy.

 

Myungsoo held his breath in anticipation as Sungyeol slowly pushed into him. Sungyeol tried to give Myungsoo a minute to adjust but as soon as Sungyeol was completely inside, Myungsoo was already trying to thrash back against Sungyeol. Sungyeol groaned loudly, elevating Myungsoo’s hips more off the mattress as he pounded into Myungsoo as quickly as he could manage. Sungyeol wasn’t used to being on top, and certainly wasn’t used to the tight, wet heat that was surrounding him. Sungyeol belatedly hoped that he was doing a good job because he noticed that Myungsoo was extremely quiet, that was until he realized Myungsoo was currently biting into a pillow. Sungyeol hesitantly reached around while he was thrusting, brushing his fingertips against Myungsoo’s nipples and smiling in satisfaction as Myungsoo let out a particularly loud moan into the pillow. Sungyeol knew that he liked that when he was bottoming and was trying to recreate an experience that he would have enjoyed himself.

 

Sadly, Sungyeol couldn’t last very long. He noticed that there were a few spurts of cum already on the sheets under Myungsoo’s torso and Sungyeol knew that he had done that to Myungsoo, just that thought alone sending him over the edge. Sungyeol panted heavily as he rode out his orgasm, pulling out of Myungsoo slowly before collapsing next to him, trying to catch his breath. Sungyeol already felt extremely lethargic but he noticed that Myungsoo was already completely hard again (Sungyeol wondered if the hardness had even faded away). Myungsoo audibly whined, “Sungyeol… I need more than that…”

 

Pouting, Sungyeol started to rub behind Myungsoo’s cat ears sympathetically, “I’m sorry Myungsoo… My stamina is really low right now…” Sungyeol paused as he noticed Myungsoo was crawling down between Sungyeol’s legs, sucking on Sungyeol’s soft dick with a hopeful look on his face. Myungsoo was determined to get another round out of Sungyeol, touching his own dick as he lapped around Sungyeol’s quite like a small kitten. Sungyeol watched Myungsoo in amazement, threading his fingers through the other’s silky hair.

 

“I’m just curious but… can you not just jerk yourself off endlessly while you’re in heat?” Sungyeol inquired, feeling his dick stir as Myungsoo looked up at him with wide and confused eyes, “Of course not… I need penetration to be satisfied. If I were alone, I’d be using sex toys during my heat. But the real thing is much better…” Sungyeol watched as Myungsoo eyed his dick, salivating at the sight of it hardening once again. Sungyeol was almost amazed at his body for recovering so quickly. He guessed that the sight of Myungsoo so willing and ready for him was just that appealing.

 

Myungsoo decided to take matters into his own hands this time, sitting on Sungyeol’s lap and guiding his semi-hard cock towards his entrance. Sungyeol opened his mouth to protest but why should he? He was still slightly lethargic and Myungsoo seemed to know what he was doing, snapping his own hips up and down with precision. Sungyeol smiled lazily, reaching up to stroke Myungsoo’s cheek, “You’re doing such a good job on your own baby…” Sungyeol observed Myungsoo’s cat ears twitch at the endearment, cum dribbling out of his slit. Sungyeol’s hand stilled for a moment, breaking out into a grin as Myungsoo’s hips began to rock back and forth quickly, “You like it when I call you that, don’t you? You like pet names? Okay then… you’re my baby. Nobody else is allowed to call you that but me.”

 

Sungyeol had been hesitant to say things like that considering Myungsoo’s past, but this was during sex in Myungsoo’s heat and the other seemed to enjoy it very much, even more cum spilling from his dick. Sungyeol tried to angle his hips in a few different ways, determined to hit Myungsoo’s prostate. One particular angle had Myungsoo let out a shriek, Sungyeol pinning Myungsoo back onto the bed, closing his eyes in concentration as he tried to hit that spot as many times and as hard as he possibly could. Sungyeol could feel Myungsoo’s dick spasming in between their bodies, cum spilling at an alarming rate. Sungyeol tried to warn Myungsoo that his release was near, squeezing Myungsoo’s shoulders as he shuddered, “Baby…” Sungyeol came for the second time that night inside of Myungsoo, thrusting slowly as he rode out his orgasm.

 

Sungyeol pulled out of Myungsoo slowly, brushing the other’s bangs out of his eyes and leaving a gentle kiss against his lips. Myungsoo looked up at him with a small smile, seemingly content at the moment. Sungyeol was about to suggest that they clean up, but he didn’t know whether his legs would be able to support themselves if he stood up. Instead, he pulled Myungsoo against his chest, kissing both of his cat ears and giggling as they twitched.

 

They both slept extremely peacefully the rest of the night.

 

~~

 

Myungsoo’s heat lasted for about 3 days. Sungyeol had sex with him as much as possible, but it was hard to keep up throughout the 3 days. The worst had been during the second day when Sungyeol had to go to work. Sungyeol had been about to call off but Dongwoo would have asked him for a reason and Sungyeol really hadn’t been ready to explain this. It had been the first time since Myungsoo had started living with Sungyeol that he left the catboy alone. At this point, Sungyeol felt pretty comfortable, thinking that Woohyun probably wasn’t looking for Myungsoo anymore. Myungsoo felt pretty uneasy being left alone, now quite used to Sungyeol’s presence, but once Sungyeol introduced Myungsoo to his dildo and vibrator collection, Myungsoo didn’t seem to mind.

 

When Myungsoo’s heat finally ended, Sungyeol decided they needed to have a conversation. He doesn’t want to put it as bluntly as ‘What is our relationship?’ but Sungyeol feels like there should be some groundwork set. Sungyeol knew that Myungsoo was important to him; Sungyeol knew that he would love to be Myungsoo’s lover. But Sungyeol also knew that Myungsoo had an extremely difficult past and the last thing he wanted to do was push him into anything.

 

So that was how the two wound up sitting together, holding hands across the dining table as Sungyeol took a deep breath. Myungsoo didn’t know what to expect, his cat ears turned downward which showed that he was nervous.

 

“I care about you a lot, Myungsoo. It’s not just because of the sex… I really care about you. I have never cared about anybody more than I care about you right now…” Sungyeol started, alarmed at the tears that threatened to fall from Myungsoo’s eyes. “What’s wrong baby?” Sungyeol squeezed Myungsoo’s hands, his heart shattering as Myungsoo pulled his hands away, wrapping them around his knees.

 

“I’m not worthy of all that care… I don’t deserve you Sungyeol! Don’t you get it? You should be out there living a normal life, not caring about me! I should just be locked up inside of Woohyun’s room like the sex slave that I am…” Myungsoo began to freely sob, Sungyeol scurrying out of his chair in order to kneel down next to Myungsoo. Sungyeol stroked Myungsoo’s cheek gently, replacing his fingers with his lips. Sungyeol pecked Myungsoo’s cheeks multiple times, wiping his tears while shaking his head, “I don’t want you to think that Myungsoo! I know… I know it’s hard to come to terms with everything considering your past. I know that Woohyun has completely messed with your mental state. I know that it takes a lot of time and care to look after you but I don’t care! That’s what you do… for people you love!”

 

Myungsoo began to shake, letting Sungyeol pick him up and carry him towards the bed where they held each other and cried until they both fell asleep. Myungsoo was still in shock that Sungyeol had used those words… Sungyeol loved him? It didn’t seem possible.

 

Nobody had ever loved Myungsoo before.

 

~~

 

After their conversation, Myungsoo slowly began to open up more towards Sungyeol. It was really tiny things, as tiny as holding his hand for a few seconds when they walked to Sungyeol’s workplace or hugging him extra tight before falling asleep. It had been exactly four months since Myungsoo started living with Sungyeol and he had really developed a false sense of security. Everything seemed to be going well, almost too well.

 

One morning, Sungyeol woke up to his phone vibrating on the nightstand. Rubbing his eyes as he awoke, he blindly reached out his arm to try and grab the device, careful to try and not disturb Myungsoo who was resting his head on Sungyeol’s chest. Sungyeol squinted at the text message he received, sent from an unknown number

 

From: Unknown

Message: I know you have L. I’ll be coming to have a little chat with you soon. I’m watching so you can’t run away.

 

Sungyeol’s heart rate spiked, feeling Myungsoo’s cat ears twitch as he quickly deleted the message, throwing his phone back onto the nightstand before Myungsoo tilted his head up in curiosity.

 

“Your heart is going crazy Sungyeol… what happened?” Myungsoo mumbled, his voice still heavy with sleep. Sungyeol shook his head, shivering as he held back onto Myungsoo tightly, “I just had a nightmare baby… I’m okay.” Myungsoo mumbled something back, but seemed to already drift back to sleep knowing Sungyeol wasn’t in any danger.

 

Sungyeol couldn’t bear to mention the text message. Myungsoo had just started to get comfortable with him, the last thing he needed was for Myungsoo to be in a constant panic. Maybe it was just Dongwoo trying to pull an elaborate prank on him to get back for all the ones he pulled in High School!

 

Sungyeol knew he couldn’t convince himself that that was true.

 

~~

 

A week had passed since the text message and Sungyeol thought maybe Woohyun was just bluffing and trying to scare him. It had definitely worked, Sungyeol was visibly more cautious, insisting that he hold hands with Myungsoo the entire walk to work and whenever there was a sudden noise he would always yelp loudly.

 

Myungsoo noticed Sungyeol’s subtle shifts in behavior but didn’t want to press him and ask him what was wrong. Myungsoo was finally starting to put all of his trust in Sungyeol and he figured that the older man would eventually let him know what the problem was. Instead, Myungsoo decided to finally initiate some affection when the two were sitting together on the couch to cheer him up. Myungsoo knew that Sungyeol had been holding back a lot for his sake, especially in the sex department. Sungyeol never tried to initiate any sort of sexual contact, the farthest he went was kissing Myungsoo’s cheek and it was always innocent. Myungsoo really liked Sungyeol and he wouldn’t mind doing things outside of his heat, but he was still kind of hesitant in that department and forever grateful that Sungyeol knew his boundaries.

 

However, Myungsoo had finally started to warm up to kisses, finding that he liked them very much. The two were sitting on the couch watching a movie, some sort of action thriller that Myungsoo was quite bored with. Sungyeol had his arm thrown over Myungsoo’s shoulder, but his eyes were completely focused on the television, eyes darting back and forth during all the explosions and chase scenes. Myungsoo rolled his eyes, smirking as he kissed the corner of Sungyeol’s mouth, letting out a quiet meow.

 

Sungyeol turned to him with a raised eyebrow, “Are you not enjoying the movie Soo?” Myungsoo shook his head, splaying his fingers across Sungyeol’s chest, “I would much rather be kissing you right now…” Myungsoo noticed the pink flush that spread across Sungyeol’s cheeks as he hoisted Myungsoo up into his lap, giving the other’s lips small pecks as he scratched behind Myungsoo’s cat ears. Sungyeol knew that was Myungsoo’s weak spot from the beginning, his entire body vibrating while he purred into the kiss. Myungsoo sighed happily, the movie long forgotten as the two decided to exchange sweet kisses while Sungyeol continued to pet Myungsoo’s head.

 

Myungsoo thought that his life couldn’t get any better than this.

 

~~

 

The next day when Sungyeol and Myungsoo were walking hand-in-hand to the chicken restaurant, the unimaginable happened. The three men who had been beating up Myungsoo the first day the pair met suddenly surrounded them, picked them up and threw them into the back of a large SUV in a matter of seconds. Myungsoo and Sungyeol barely had a chance to react before Myungsoo let out a blood-curdling scream. He immediately buried his face into Sungyeol’s chest, screaming against it, “That’s him Sungyeol! W-Woohyun!”

 

Sungyeol wrapped his arms around Myungsoo’s torso tightly before glaring at the man in the passenger seat. He seemed to fit the bill of what he imagined Woohyun to look at, a young aristocrat with an evil smirk on his face. He tsked softly, “L-ah, is that how you greet your owner that you haven’t seen in so many months? You’ve already gotten so comfortable with this other man…”

 

Sungyeol narrowed his eyes at Woohyun, “Where the hell are you taking us?” Woohyun chuckled deeply, “I don’t need to tell you that. We’re going somewhere nice and private where we can all have a little chat.” Myungsoo never stopped shaking in Sungyeol’s embrace, the other extremely worried about his lover. Sungyeol continued to rock Myungsoo back and forth, whispering sweet nothings in his ear in order to calm him down a little bit. It only worked for a brief moment before Myungsoo began sobbing again. Sungyeol couldn’t blame him; he was scared to death as well and he doesn’t even have the history that Myungsoo had with Woohyun.

 

“Can you two stop being so lovey-dovey? It’s so gross watching couples be so attached to each other!” Woohyun gagged in a playful manner, Sungyeol’s expression hardening, “And maybe if you didn’t fucking abuse Myungsoo for the past 10 years he wouldn’t be so terrified of seeing you!”

 

Woohyun clutched his chest in fake shock, “Abuse?! I was just training my little kitten L for the cruel world that he would have to face…” Myungsoo audibly whimpered, Sungyeol giving him a short kiss on the top of his head before shouting, “Can you stop calling him L? I don’t know what fucked up world you came from but his name is _Myungsoo_.”

 

Woohyun rolled his eyes in disinterest, pointing ahead to a huge mansion, “Here’s where we get off, my parent’s summer home here in Paju. It’s not too far outside of Seoul by car and look how much more land you can get!” Sungyeol hadn’t realized they were already outside of Seoul since he had been trying to comfort Myungsoo. Speaking of Myungsoo, the catboy finally looked up into Sungyeol’s eyes for the first time the entire ride. His eyes were bloodshot and he had soaked Sungyeol’s shirt with his tears but Sungyeol simply kissed his cheeks before whispering in his human ear, “I will do anything it takes to keep you with me. I’m not leaving you here with him today.”

 

~~

 

Woohyun led Myungsoo and Sungyeol inside, leaving the guards outside in the car. Woohyun was pretty confident that Myungsoo and Sungyeol wouldn’t try to escape considering the two had no idea where they were. Woohyun showed them into the formal dining area, letting Sungyeol and Myungsoo sit next to each other.

 

“Would you like some tea?” Woohyun put on a fake smile, laughing as Sungyeol scoffed at him.

 

“Let’s just get this over with,” Sungyeol squeezed Myungsoo’s hand tightly under the table before continuing, “I have no intention of letting Myungsoo back in your care. He is quite happy with me and I care about him more than anything. In fact… I love him. If you think you’re taking him back today without a fight, you’re wrong.” Myungsoo felt himself tear up from the sincerity in Sungyeol’s words before Woohyun started slow clapping, wiping his fake tears from his eyes, “Wow, what a sincere love story between a pathetic chicken store employee and a neglected catboy. You could make a movie out of this!”

 

Sungyeol rolled his eyes, rubbing Myungsoo’s thigh in encouragement, trying to keep him from having a breakdown before Woohyun finally spoke.

 

“You know… after 10 years, I’m already quite bored with L… or Myungsoo, if you want me to use his real name. In fact, I’m ready to hand over his papers to you, Sungyeol. Just… for old times sake, I really wanted to have sex with L in his heat one more time. You see, I got these new cool drugs from Germany! They force your catboy to go into heat immediately, isn’t that interesting? I could…” Woohyun stopped his rant as he noticed Myungsoo hysterically sobbing, shaking his head, “I never want to have sex with you ever again Woohyun! You don’t treat me like Sungyeol does!”

 

Woohyun shrugged, “It’s either have sex with me this one time or I will kidnap you from Sungyeol’s apartment and keep you with me forever. I think we both know what the better option is!”

 

Sungyeol shook his head, “Come on Woohyun… there’s plenty of other people out there! Why can’t you just find somebody else?” Sungyeol shivered at the smirk that came across Woohyun’s face, “You know… I’m sure it would be quite interesting if I tried to use this drug on you instead. Maybe you’d start self-lubricating like a catboy!”

 

Myungsoo’s eyes widened at Woohyun’s words… he was going to try a drug meant for catboys on Sungyeol?! That might kill him! Myungsoo was about to protest the idea before Sungyeol nodded, “If that will keep you from touching Myungsoo ever again, then I’m willing to do it.”

 

Woohyun cackled, “Oh you idiot! You’re really willing to try a drug untested on humans just to save this stupid catboy you haven’t even known for half a year? I was just trying to freak you out and you agree to it this easily?!”

 

Sungyeol shrugged, “I’m willing to do anything to protect the man I love, I don’t really see how this is a surprise.”

 

Myungsoo began to shake his head, tugging on Sungyeol’s arm, “Don’t do that, Sungyeol! What if you have terrible side-effects… what if it wound up killing you?! I can’t lose you…” Sungyeol smiled down at Myungsoo, leaving a gentle peck on the other’s lips, “I’d try anything to save you, Soo.”

 

Myungsoo climbed into Sungyeol’s lap, kissing the other with such intensity that Sungyeol had never felt before. It felt as if Myungsoo thought it would be the last time he could ever kiss Sungyeol, convulsing as he whispered, “I love you Sungyeol… I love you so much.”

 

It was the first time Myungsoo had ever said I love you.

 

Woohyun stood up suddenly, his chair tipping back as Myungsoo and Sungyeol turned their heads toward him. The aristocrat groaned, “Honestly, you two are making me want to throw up. Whatever, I’ll just give you Myungsoo’s papers and send you both home. It’ll be easier just finding some random girl to fuck than watching _this_.”

 

Sungyeol grinned widely, not wanting to celebrate yet but he decided to continue kissing Myungsoo. If this is what grossed Woohyun out, he intended to do it until he got thrown out.

 

~~

 

When Sungyeol and Myungsoo finally arrived home after Woohyun threw them out, Sungyeol looked at his phone to find 13 missed calls from Dongwoo.

 

“Fuck…” Sungyeol groaned as he called back his best friend and boss to assure that no, he wasn’t dead and yes, there was a good reason why he didn’t show up to work on the busiest night of the week. Myungsoo watched Sungyeol in curiosity as he finished up the phone call, taking the papers from Sungyeol’s hand and running into the bedroom to store them in the nightstand. Myungsoo was officially “owned” by Sungyeol now, but Sungyeol already assured him that this didn’t change anything. Sungyeol told him to view the papers as the two officially becoming a couple now instead of Sungyeol controlling Myungsoo.

 

Myungsoo blushed happily, padding out into the living room to hug Sungyeol’s back, rocking him back and forth as he said his last goodbye to Dongwoo, “I really need to go now hyung! You can tell me all about your new girlfriend later! I have my own boyfriend here I need to entertain!” Myungsoo grinned at the title, running his fingers along the edge of Sungyeol’s shirt.

 

“Did you want to say something baby?” Sungyeol asked, Myungsoo shivering slightly. He still loved when Sungyeol called him that and he didn’t think he would ever get over it.

 

Myungsoo mumbled against Sungyeol’s back, “I was wondering if we could take a bath together…?” Sungyeol turned around in Myungsoo’s embrace, kissing the other’s nose before smiling, “You really want that? Because I would love that.”

 

The two began stripping their clothes as they walked into the bathroom, Sungyeol making sure the water was piping hot before stepping inside. Sungyeol had bathed Myungsoo countless times before, but the two had never been inside the bathtub together. Sungyeol always bragged about how his tiny apartment had a bathtub, considering they were quite rare in Korea, and how he knew this apartment was ‘the one’ when he saw it. Sungyeol opened his arms wide, inviting Myungsoo to settle in between his legs. Myungsoo allowed his body to relax completely against Sungyeol’s, leaning his head back against Sungyeol’s shoulder. Sungyeol began to absent-mindedly rub Myungsoo’s arms underneath the water, feeling himself drift off to sleep.

 

Myungsoo cleared his throat before mentioning casually, “You know… Yeol. If you ever want to have sex outside of my heat… just tell me. I know you have been holding back a lot over the past few months and I really appreciate it. But now that we are ‘officially’ together… just know that I completely trust you.” The room was silent for a few moments; Myungsoo turning around to make sure Sungyeol hadn’t fallen asleep.

 

Sungyeol had been silently crying from Myungsoo’s sudden confession, Myungsoo gasping and wiping the tears from Sungyeol’s eyes. Sungyeol let out such a bright smile before kissing Myungsoo’s forehead gently, “Just you saying that… it shows how much you trust me and you don’t even know how happy that makes me. I just have one condition.”

 

Myungsoo tilted his head in curiosity as Sungyeol laughed, pinching Myungsoo’s cheek, “I want you to top next time.”

 

~~

 

Now that Sungyeol officially has Myungsoo’s papers, Sungyeol can help Myungsoo apply for a part-time job. Sungyeol felt bad that Myungsoo was always forced into the back room at his job (especially since it felt like Myungsoo had read through the entire local library at this point) and Sungyeol wanted Myungsoo to choose a place that he really wanted to work at.

 

Myungsoo wound up choosing a manhwa café, where he would serve drinks and recommend his favorite manhwa to customers. Sungyeol thought the job suited him perfectly, and he had already heard rumors from his own customers that there was a new, attractive worker at the manhwa café down the road that they _had_ to check out.

 

Sungyeol would almost feel jealous when he heard those things, but Sungyeol knew that Myungsoo would always be in his bed at the end of the night.

 

After a particularly long Saturday night, Myungsoo and Sungyeol decided to go to a bar together to have a drink and relax. It was the first time they were ever in a setting like this before, Myungsoo’s cheeks flushing after one drink and laughing too loudly at all of Sungyeol’s jokes.

 

Sungyeol was just about to cut off Myungsoo (after only his second drink) when he noticed his ex-boyfriend walking into the bar. Of course, Sungyeol rolled his eyes, out of all the bars that exist in the entirety of Seoul they have to run into each other at this random one that Sungyeol had never even been to before.

 

Wonho grinned as he saw Sungyeol, sliding into the seat next to him, “What a coincidence Sungyeol! What are you doing here? Still single I see!” Sungyeol chuckled, leaning back so Wonho could see an already drunk Myungsoo clinging to Sungyeol’s arm, nuzzling his shoulder affectionately.

 

“I’m so glad you cheated on me Wonho, I would have never met the love of my life if it hadn’t been for that!” Sungyeol rubbed Myungsoo’s back slowly, the other slowly noticing that he was being watched. Myungsoo leaned over towards Wonho curiously before turning back to Sungyeol and whining, “Can we go back home Yeollie? I wanna take my clothes off and cuddle…”

 

Wonho widened his eyes, Sungyeol smiling and cupping Myungsoo’s cheeks while cooing, “Of course my baby. Let’s get you home, okay? Say goodbye to this douchebag for me!”

 

“Bye this douchebag!” Myungsoo smiled as Sungyeol began to laugh hysterically, supporting Myungsoo’s weight against him as they slowly made their way out of the bar.

 

~~

 

Sungyeol could safely say he had never been this happy in his entire life.

 

Myungsoo could guarantee he had never been this happy in his entire life.

 

It had been a whole year since that night where Sungyeol had found Myungsoo getting beaten up in the streets of Itaewon. They decided they wanted to have a party commemorating the fateful meeting, but by “party” they meant just having Dongwoo over for some drinks and snacks because the two didn’t really have any other friends.

 

They all reminisced together, commenting on how much Myungsoo’s personality has changed and how he had really blossomed over the past year.

 

“Myungsoo you used to be so quiet and shy, especially around me!” Dongwoo laughed, poking Myungsoo’s chest, “Nowadays I wouldn’t be surprised if you just started humping Sungyeol in public or laughing so loudly that you disturb the neighbors!”

 

Myungsoo blushed at Dongwoo’s statement, “I can control myself enough to not hump Sungyeol in public! That was only one time and I was just about to go into heat, I can’t control my body when that happens!” Sungyeol laughed at the memory, “I thought you were going to warn me when your heat was happening! How was I supposed to know that when we were having a double date with Dongwoo and his girlfriend that you were going to just start humping me at the table!”

 

Myungsoo was glad that Dongwoo and Sungyeol could laugh at the memory now, but it had still been quite the humiliating moment for him. He was afraid that Dongwoo’s girlfriend would never want to see him again, but thankfully she had understood once Dongwoo explained the whole situation.

 

“I’m just happy that Myungsoo can be so affectionate now. It took him awhile, but once he started initiating kisses and wanting to cuddle not only while we slept I felt like I was on top of the world…” Sungyeol grinned, grabbing Myungsoo’s hand as Dongwoo began to aww them, snapping a few pictures on his phone.

 

“I don’t know if I should be uncomfortable or honored that you two are so affectionate around me. But I think I should be honored because I have so many cute pictures to use when you both get married!” Dongwoo laughed as his friends blushed at the mention of marriage.

 

A legal marriage was almost impossible, especially between a man and a catboy in South Korea, but Myungsoo did some research at the library and learned that Thailand was a great place to settle down if you were a catboy who was in love with another man. It was a long time from now, Myungsoo and Sungyeol had only been officially ‘together’ for half a year, but Myungsoo soon discovered that he was a hopeless romantic and he often thought about being with Sungyeol for the rest of his life.

 

A few cans of beer later, Dongwoo’s girlfriend picked him up as he stumbled out of Myungsoo and Sungyeol’s shared apartment, the two cleaning up the kitchen and washing up before climbing into bed together.

 

“That was fun…” Sungyeol commented sleepily, running his cold foot along Myungsoo’s calf. Myungsoo shivered, nodding with a smile, “I love Dongwoo. He’s so much fun.” Sungyeol pouted, “You love somebody else other than me? I thought ‘I love you’ was reserved for me!”

 

Myungsoo rolled his eyes at Sungyeol’s outburst, kissing the other’s lips with a smile, “You know what I mean. I love Dongwoo like the brother I never had. I love you like my life partner, my lover, my future husband.” Sungyeol smiled, content with the answer as he began to fall asleep.

 

“You idiot…” Myungsoo grinned, patting Sungyeol’s butt as he slowly drifted off to sleep.

 

_He’s my idiot though. The idiot who saved my life. The idiot who I want to hold me and protect me for the rest of my life._

**Author's Note:**

> HOOOOO BOY. That was a ride. Somehow I wrote this in a little over 48 hours and I'm not really sure what came over me but because I have barely proof-read it and it was written so quickly it's probably really jumbled and not that great so SORRY ABOUT THAT. I just couldn't help myself... Catboy!Myungsoo is my weakness. I had an epilogue planned out where Myungsoo and Sungyeol go to Thailand and it's basically just PWP so if I ever get around to writing that, that would be cool. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy! Especially whoever wrote this prompt!


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